Sitting in the dugout before practice Wednesday, all of the Lawrence High baseball players had their eyes focused on Kevin Hooper.

It’s not every day that a former Major League baseball player stops by to give advice.

Hooper, a Lawrence native and 1995 LHS graduate, returned to his high school for a talk with current players. He’s in his second year in the San Diego Padres organization, serving as the team’s minor league infield coordinator.

“What’s really special is the guy gets minimal time to be at home while he’s working for the Padres,” Lawrence coach Brad Stoll said. “And yet, he called and said, ‘Hey, I think I’m going to be in town. I want come by on Wednesday.’ That’s pretty special. That shows how much Lawrence High baseball means to him.”

When Hooper finished talking, the Lions were fired up to begin practice, starting with sprints before running to spots on the field for stretching.

“The pleasure is all mine,” Hooper said. “I’ve told these guys, I’ve put that uniform on before. For them to remember that they are not just playing with themselves, they are playing for guys like me who have put that uniform on. I took a lot of pride in playing here.”

Hooper, the former manager of the Wichita Wingnuts, is enjoying his new position roving the minor leagues — “Perfect fit for where I’m at in my life right now,” he said.

Living in Valley Center, outside of Wichita, Hooper said he’s on a plane about every four or five days. That means he’s at home about 10 days each month, spending time with his two daughters when he’s not visiting various Padres minor league teams.

“I miss managing, no doubt about it,” Hooper said. “But if I’m managing affiliated ball, I’m away from my girls while they are in school. Then I’d make them come throughout the summer and they are in activities like softball and all that, and I don’t want to take that away from them.”

Hooper is one of four Lawrence High graduates to reach the Majors, playing in 14 games for the Detroit Tigers (2005-06).

Stoll, who estimated he’s been friends with Hooper for 35 years, tries to bring back some of the school’s best players each season to give talks to current players. Before Hooper, the Lions heard from Garrett Cleavinger, Albert Minnis and Dorian Green.

“Every handbook and everything we do, we talk about all of the success this program’s had and all the great players,” Stoll said. “(Hooper’s) obviously one of the best to ever come through here. It’s pretty cool to have him.”

Hooper focused his message Wednesday on keeping a positive mindset in a game that’s filled with failure: “You can be 0-for-3 and come up that fourth time and be the hero,” he said.

For the Lions, it was a message that stuck with them as they near postseason play, listening to a player whose path some of them aspire to follow.

“I told them the numbers — the chances of even one of these guys sitting out here and playing in the major leagues is slim-to-none pretty much,” Hooper said. “But I told them to prove me wrong. I did it. Many people thought I couldn’t do it and I was able to do it, so I challenged them.”